-Isms: Views on life in rural America

It’s funny how reading something can lead me down a rabbit hole, filled with history and memories.

As I perused a daily “ideas” email from a writing group, the following question was posed: If you could design a theme park around any concept, what would it be?

That simple question provoked thoughts of amusement parks in Nebraska. Kids today, more than likely, think about the mega-waterparks made popular by lazy, floating rivers and crazy slides or a Fun Plex, where video games can keep you occupied for hours.

More than 50 years ago, Chautauqua Park, in Hastings, had a small amusement park, of...